Jude Bellingham is refusing to listen after LaLiga stars told him 'you can't do that here'

Jude Bellingham was warned against performing his now iconic celebration after scoring on his Real Madrid debut. Bellingham has punctuated most of his vast array of goals for the club with outstretched arms – but the Englishman was initially told “you can’t do that here” by Athletic Club players.

Having sealed an £86million move to Los Blancos in the summer of 2023, the Stourbridge-born star made an immediate impact for the Spanish giants on his debut, which came on August 12, 2024. It took him less than a half of football to get his name on the scoresheet during an away visit to Bilbao on the opening day of the 2023/24 season.

He showed no nerves, meeting a floated corner at the back post first time and seeing his effort loop over the opposition keeper. As had become customary during his three seasons with Borussia Dortmund, the midfield sensation ran in front of the fans to perform his trademark celebration for the first time in a Real Madrid shirt.

He raised his arms wide open while glaring up at the stands. In front of him was a section of the Athletic Club home support, who responded by hurling abuse at the unfazed youngster.

After Bellingham had finished celebrating with team-mates, Athletic Club captain Iker Munian approached him, furiously telling him not to antagonise the home supporters. Bellingham now admits the Spanish veteran’s advice fell on deaf ears.

Bellingham recalled on the first episode of his newly-launched YouTube channel: “When you celebrate against an opposition you’re not doing it to provoke them, you’re just doing it because you’re happy you’ve scored. So yeah, I put my arms out and did the celebration that I always do.

“I remember a couple of their players came over to me saying ‘you can’t do that here’. I’ve not listened so yeah, I’ll probably keep doing it.”

Munian’s warning failed to knock Bellingham’s confidence. The Englishman showed he had every right to be arrogant in his celebrations by scoring 23 goals on his way to winning a La Liga and Champions League double in his first season with the club.

The celebration has since been replicated by a whole host of sports stars in tribute to Bellingham, including Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos, Spanish tennis phenom Carlos Alcaraz and, most recently, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.